SB Nation reported that Applewhite was on thin ice after Houston was demolished 70-14 by Army in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 22, the end of a disappointing 2-year run for the first-time head coach.

At a school where the president bragged about firing Tony Levine for the sin of going 8-4, Applewhite went 7-5 in 2017 and 8-5 in 2018.

Shortly after taking the reins of the program, Houston super-booster and Board of Regents chairman Tilman Fertitta stated exactly what the expectations were for Houston’s program, and the statement has been burned into everyone’s memory ever since.

Houston parted ways with both coordinators over the past month. Defensive coordinator Mark D’Onfrio was relieved of duties after the regular season and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles — who had agreed to a contract to become the highest-paid Group of 5 coordinator after he was pursued for the Texas State head coaching job — left to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State.

Rather than rebuild with Applewhite, the school is instead opting to hit the reset button on the entire program. SB Nation reported that Houston plans to contact multiple candidates in addition to Holgorsen to find Applewhite’s replacement; but added Holgorsen is the most notable candidate.